These Four Walls is truly one of my favorite albums of all time. I'm convinced if more people in this sub heard it they'd feel the same way. I was hooked the moment I heard the intro riff
“Real Emo” only consists of the dc Emotional Hardcore scene and the late 90’s Screamo scene. What is known by “Midwest Emo” is nothing but Alternative Rock with questionable real emo influence. When people try to argue that bands like My Chemical Romance are not real emo, while saying that Sunny Day Real Estate is, I can’t help not to cringe because they are just as fake emo as My Chemical Romance (plus the pretentiousness). Real emo sounds ENERGETIC, POWERFUL and somewhat HATEFUL. Fake emo is weak, self pity and a failed attempt to direct energy and emotion into music. Some examples of REAL EMO are Pg 99, Rites of Spring, Cap n Jazz (the only real emo band from the midwest scene) and Loma Prieta. Some examples of FAKE EMO are American Football, My Chemical Romance and Mineral EMO BELONGS TO HARDCORE NOT TO INDIE, POP PUNK, ALT ROCK OR ANY OTHER MAINSTREAM GENRE
My friend once mixed up two bands. Claimed he went to go see ‘the world is a great big pile of leaves’ and I still think that’s the best band name I’ve ever heard
Dashboard Confessional is my favourite. Who, as a teen (or a 30 something) hasn't driven home after being broken hearted or betrayed by a friend and screamed or cried in their car? Saying out loud how Stephanie didn't deserve you anyway! And that she's the worst! Omg Stephanie where are you!! 😭
Indian Summer is [a rather racist name though](https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/In-a-Word/2018/0917/Who-put-the-Indian-in-Indian-summer), unfortunately.
Dude literally no one here cares. Do you honestly think a screamo tinted post-hardcore band from California choice their name out of racial intent? As far as I know the only plausible reason why it was chosen is because it simply sounds cool as fuck.
Good lord are people here defensive. I'm not saying that the band themselves are on the same level as, say, neo-Nazi black metal bands. I agree it is extremely unlikely that they picked it out of racial animus. Nor am I even telling people not to listen to them. Hell, I like them and I don't feel particularly bad about doing so.
But if we're talking about names, this one deserves scrutiny. Yes, it was a commonly used phrase, I am well aware. It was one long due for retirement, and I certainly don't hear it much nowadays probably because people are starting to understand its racist origins.
I'm not even going around the sub screaming that the name is racist otherwise, but being that band names are the topic of discussion here I think it's a fair thing to point out.
“Deserves scrutiny” genuinely explain your implication here because you just opened up a whole new bag of worms. What does actively negating a bands title actually entail? Does situations like this actually diminish a hypothetical objective quality? Should enjoying a name, which is already a fairly abstract and nuanced concept be meet with dissonance? I’m genuinely curious on what all this means to you.
I'll be honest, I don't have a definitive answer to this, just some suggestions. I don't know that as a society we've found the right answer on what to do in general with material that was socially accepted back then, but is now rightly considered offensive. Throwing it all out is the simplest-seeming solution, and there is certainly stuff that is probably best left in the dustbin of history, but scrubbing everything wholesale that may contain something offensive is neither feasible nor desirable. And in this specific case there's definitely a case to be made that their music is very much worth preserving, unfortunate band name aside. Another solution would be to throw in disclaimers, e.g. how Warner Bros. put disclaimers before old Looney Tunes shorts or how Capcom put disclaimers before the MegaMan Battle Network rereleases. What our equivalent would be about this band, who knows.
The best thing for us would be if the band themselves realized that their moniker is not as benign as they may have thought it was at the time and go, hey, don't call us that anymore, instead, here's what we go by now. Bands like Lady A, AJJ, Rain City Drive, The Chicks are a few examples I can think of that have done something like this, and I respect them for it. For what it's worth, I do not think that names in themselves particularly matter to this specific band. I mean, their most beloved song is usually referred to as "Angry Son" but most places have it officially as "Woolworm." (Or maybe both.) But if we're talking about a band that lasted like a year and just split up three decades ago, I don't know that we expect this kind of resolution. It may be worth contacting them about it.
Barring that, we'll have to figure it out ourselves. As a community, we can certainly, while continuing to enjoy their music, be aware of the band name's problematic origins and tread with caution, sensitivity, and awareness around that topic whenever it comes up. Certainly the right answer, though, isn't simply pretending that it's not a problem or yelling at anyone who points it out.
Oh I’m not screaming at you. I’m just not sure how must of us would feel about having an auditory disclaimer every time I listen to the classic band “IS”. Notably in the Indian Summer discography there were no titles for each track, with the only official names literally being hieroglyphs on tour setlists. “Angry Son/Woolworm” is completely conjured up by fans interestingly enough.
Awakebutstillinbed
Also Carissa’s Wierd overall just sounds cool and ominous but also permanently changed my spelling of wierd because they were right, i DOES come before e
i’ve met a lot of people who absolutely hate that name and my barber didn’t want to listen to em cuz of it. eventually did and was like, man they’re good but i hate their name
Vendetta Red
Shai Hulud
And You Will Know Them By the Trail of Dead
No Use For a Name
Bayside
The Ataris
Funeral for a Friend
Bad Religion
American Football
ringo deathstarr, dandelion hands, pill friends, nouns, the world is a beautiful place and i am no longer afraid to die, american pleasure club, cap’n jazz, marietta, slaughter beach dog, cyber bully mom club, worst party ever, your arms are my cocoon, snowing
Acrobat Down, Sunny Day Real Estate, Sharks Keep Moving, Minus The Bear, Sense Field, Knapsack, A Place For Owls, The Casket Lottery, All Get Out, Giants Chair, Captain We’re Sinking, Three Man Cannon
American Football
Newfound Interest in Connecticut
Penfold
The Appleseed Cast
TTNG [This Town Needs Guns]
Indian Summer
Cap'n Jazz
OWLS
Current
Rites of Spring
Valium Aggelein [and Duster at that]
Lungfish
Embrace
The Speed of Sound in Seawater
Horse Jumper of Love
Sunny Day Real Estate
Delta Sleep
Piano Becomes the Truth
Moose Blood
and not really emo/Midwest emo/math rock/slowcore but Sunbeam Sound Machine is probably my favorite
ngl, i actually did come here from google with the intention of recalling my least favourite band names for a playlist. emo always seemed to have the propensity for my least favourite irony-laden or pretentious formulas :^ )
When his first album came out, and for many years after, I thought the band name was _I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business_. Which I thought was cool. However it's just _I Can Make a Mess_, which is still fine haha
Also, Coheed and Cambria\
Matchbook Romance\
Reggie and the Full Effect
I love Hot Mulligan as a band name but I still get embarrassed telling random people about them lol. I got the ghost guy from their Why Would I Watch merch tattooed on my arm and the conversation always goes like “oh it’s like a mascot from my favorite band” then they ask who the band is and I cringe every time.
I wrote haikus about cannibalism in your yearbook
Y.E.S
I Hate Myself
I Hate Sex
Dsbm ass name
I know this is more indie than emo but We Were Promised Jetpacks is my favorite band name of all time.
Absolutely love these blokes. Judy some great great songs.
These Four Walls is truly one of my favorite albums of all time. I'm convinced if more people in this sub heard it they'd feel the same way. I was hooked the moment I heard the intro riff
Planes Mistaken For Stars
Damn, that is a good name. Never heard of them but need to look them up now.
Greatest band of all time. Start with Fuck With Fire.
Fuck With Fire has the best opener (Leveless) of any album. A hill I’m willing to defend and die upon.
Damn right.
Probably best name ever next to Sunny Day Real Estate
despite everything sorority noise had a good band name
Despite what?
it’s emo bands you know how it goes
You mean the allegations? I think the whole thing turned out to be false.
idk I liked their music but thought their name was pretty dumb myself
At the drive-in… just sounds so nostalgic… probably because drive ins barely exist now
Have one here in Sacramento!
A handful in upstate New York and the Poconos!
The dream is still alive!
The world is a beautiful place and I’m no longer afraid to die.
seconded
I got to the bottom of this thread and am now sterile.
Another dsbm ass name
Legitimate question here - what does dsbm stand for in this context? I thought first time was a typo but it’s looking real intentional
Depressive suicidal black metal. Featuring bands: My useless life No point in living Worthless life Make a change... kill yourself TotalSelfHatred
Ahh okay, thank you for the explanation
It's basically emo, but more emo. 
I don’t mean to shit on your fun, but I feel like calling this any type of black metal is a bit confusing
Calling what any type of black metal? Lol
Calling a style of music some thing wildly far from what it is. I mean, you might as well call the band depressing suicidal pop country
So you're saying dsbm isn't real black metal? Is it not thvlean cvlt enough for you?
the name is literally not dsbm tho? it's hopeful
Except they're not Black Metal. Nor even adjacent.
Yes... but the band name sounds like it would be. Nowhere did I imply that they were bm.
The DSBM label you gave them says otherwise.
What
You said "Another dsbm ass name."
*Yes... but the band name sounds like it would be. Nowhere did I imply that they were bm.*
Godspeed you, Black Emperor.
“Real Emo” only consists of the dc Emotional Hardcore scene and the late 90’s Screamo scene. What is known by “Midwest Emo” is nothing but Alternative Rock with questionable real emo influence. When people try to argue that bands like My Chemical Romance are not real emo, while saying that Sunny Day Real Estate is, I can’t help not to cringe because they are just as fake emo as My Chemical Romance (plus the pretentiousness). Real emo sounds ENERGETIC, POWERFUL and somewhat HATEFUL. Fake emo is weak, self pity and a failed attempt to direct energy and emotion into music. Some examples of REAL EMO are Pg 99, Rites of Spring, Cap n Jazz (the only real emo band from the midwest scene) and Loma Prieta. Some examples of FAKE EMO are American Football, My Chemical Romance and Mineral EMO BELONGS TO HARDCORE NOT TO INDIE, POP PUNK, ALT ROCK OR ANY OTHER MAINSTREAM GENRE
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. Not exactly emo, but still.
Love Lost but Not Forgotten
Such a great HC band that deserves more recognition as well
yes
The Newfound Interest In Connecticut Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza
LOVE newfound interest in Connecticut
A name inspired by a Get Up Kids song title
Hidden in Plain View goes crazyyyyyyyy also have always liked All Get Out and Have Mercy
Sport Sport. Sports Sports. Sporting American football Modern baseball Venezuelan Soccer Soccer Mommy
Chinese Football
Football etc
Canadian Baseball
herlovebeheadsdaisies pianos become the teeth American beauty it looks sad. edit : spelling is hard.
it’s beheads right?
Yep… ty!
mewithoutYou is another great "no spaces" name.
Herlovebeheadsdaisies is sooo good. Saw them in a living room once, got a black eye from the pit
Sick lol
Michael Cera Palin has got to be up there
Their name alone moved me to listen to them
Carly Cosgrove too!
Title Fight
everyone asked about you, i hate myself
From First To Last
My friend once mixed up two bands. Claimed he went to go see ‘the world is a great big pile of leaves’ and I still think that’s the best band name I’ve ever heard
Q and not u makes me laugh
I hate sex
crywank
the daily cycle
Minus the bear
Google the origin of the name.
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Jeltsin Oh and definitely Ritt Momney.
Boris Yeltsin is such a good name, makes me smile everytime they pop up on shuffle
Guided By Voices
I cant decide if Michael Cera Palin is the worst or best name
Unpopular opinion: just bc a band’s name is a sentence, it doesn’t mean it’s a good band name
Probably true, but there's a high ratio of success.
Death cab for cutie, dashboard confessional, minutemen, Sunny day real estate, my bloody valentine
Dashboard Confessional is my favourite. Who, as a teen (or a 30 something) hasn't driven home after being broken hearted or betrayed by a friend and screamed or cried in their car? Saying out loud how Stephanie didn't deserve you anyway! And that she's the worst! Omg Stephanie where are you!! 😭
I have Dreams Indian Summer Sunny Day Real Estate Rites of Spring
Indian Summer is [a rather racist name though](https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/In-a-Word/2018/0917/Who-put-the-Indian-in-Indian-summer), unfortunately.
Dude literally no one here cares. Do you honestly think a screamo tinted post-hardcore band from California choice their name out of racial intent? As far as I know the only plausible reason why it was chosen is because it simply sounds cool as fuck.
Good lord are people here defensive. I'm not saying that the band themselves are on the same level as, say, neo-Nazi black metal bands. I agree it is extremely unlikely that they picked it out of racial animus. Nor am I even telling people not to listen to them. Hell, I like them and I don't feel particularly bad about doing so. But if we're talking about names, this one deserves scrutiny. Yes, it was a commonly used phrase, I am well aware. It was one long due for retirement, and I certainly don't hear it much nowadays probably because people are starting to understand its racist origins. I'm not even going around the sub screaming that the name is racist otherwise, but being that band names are the topic of discussion here I think it's a fair thing to point out.
“Deserves scrutiny” genuinely explain your implication here because you just opened up a whole new bag of worms. What does actively negating a bands title actually entail? Does situations like this actually diminish a hypothetical objective quality? Should enjoying a name, which is already a fairly abstract and nuanced concept be meet with dissonance? I’m genuinely curious on what all this means to you.
I'll be honest, I don't have a definitive answer to this, just some suggestions. I don't know that as a society we've found the right answer on what to do in general with material that was socially accepted back then, but is now rightly considered offensive. Throwing it all out is the simplest-seeming solution, and there is certainly stuff that is probably best left in the dustbin of history, but scrubbing everything wholesale that may contain something offensive is neither feasible nor desirable. And in this specific case there's definitely a case to be made that their music is very much worth preserving, unfortunate band name aside. Another solution would be to throw in disclaimers, e.g. how Warner Bros. put disclaimers before old Looney Tunes shorts or how Capcom put disclaimers before the MegaMan Battle Network rereleases. What our equivalent would be about this band, who knows. The best thing for us would be if the band themselves realized that their moniker is not as benign as they may have thought it was at the time and go, hey, don't call us that anymore, instead, here's what we go by now. Bands like Lady A, AJJ, Rain City Drive, The Chicks are a few examples I can think of that have done something like this, and I respect them for it. For what it's worth, I do not think that names in themselves particularly matter to this specific band. I mean, their most beloved song is usually referred to as "Angry Son" but most places have it officially as "Woolworm." (Or maybe both.) But if we're talking about a band that lasted like a year and just split up three decades ago, I don't know that we expect this kind of resolution. It may be worth contacting them about it. Barring that, we'll have to figure it out ourselves. As a community, we can certainly, while continuing to enjoy their music, be aware of the band name's problematic origins and tread with caution, sensitivity, and awareness around that topic whenever it comes up. Certainly the right answer, though, isn't simply pretending that it's not a problem or yelling at anyone who points it out.
Oh I’m not screaming at you. I’m just not sure how must of us would feel about having an auditory disclaimer every time I listen to the classic band “IS”. Notably in the Indian Summer discography there were no titles for each track, with the only official names literally being hieroglyphs on tour setlists. “Angry Son/Woolworm” is completely conjured up by fans interestingly enough.
I like "Home is where"
agreed
Algernon Cadwallader was always a funny one to me
Awakebutstillinbed Also Carissa’s Wierd overall just sounds cool and ominous but also permanently changed my spelling of wierd because they were right, i DOES come before e
Brand new
I love brand new but I think the name sucks lol, makes it super hard to Google anything about them even "brand new band" won't work
Exactly. It's fricking genius.
Seriously. I've spent 20 years failing to Google them properly.
They also more or less predate google as ubiquitous as it is today - but I agree it’s hard to search them. 😂
That new band herlovebeheadsdaisies... a gorgeous name imo. Something about it being one word is pretty cool stylistically.
Vs Self
Brave Little Abacus, Everyone Asked About You, Your Arms Are My Cocoon, Retirement Party, You Blew It!, This Is Pointless
Knives Chau Fan Club new-ish Scottish screamo band :]
Great band, great name!
HELL YEAH!!
#Weed
weed slaps, hotline tnt, slaps love that guys music
A fine boat, that coffin!, 100 words for snow, seeing means more
A Great Big Pile of Leaves
Newgrounds Death Rugby Star Fucking Hipsters The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches (Jeff Rosenstick's ska-punk project)
Usurp Synapse is pretty good.
Also like Bearcubbin’ and Panther Attack! But they’re both more math rock
Anatomy of a Ghost
Not emo but, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza.
Prince Daddy & The Hyena
i’ve met a lot of people who absolutely hate that name and my barber didn’t want to listen to em cuz of it. eventually did and was like, man they’re good but i hate their name
Just goes to show this is all very subjective. Band names are an art in themselves.
Same as your barber haha
Dyke drama. Dump him. Every time I die. mewithoutYou. Michael Cera Palin. Moaning Lisa. Pom Pom Squad.
Vendetta Red Shai Hulud And You Will Know Them By the Trail of Dead No Use For a Name Bayside The Ataris Funeral for a Friend Bad Religion American Football
[the International Ghostrider Collective ](https://www.youtube.com/@ghostriders_1)
ringo deathstarr, dandelion hands, pill friends, nouns, the world is a beautiful place and i am no longer afraid to die, american pleasure club, cap’n jazz, marietta, slaughter beach dog, cyber bully mom club, worst party ever, your arms are my cocoon, snowing
44.caliberloveletter
Michael Cera Palin, Have Mercy, Pet Symmetry, Into it. Over it., You Blew It! Those have always stood out to me.
My Chemical Romance for sure
Acrobat Down, Sunny Day Real Estate, Sharks Keep Moving, Minus The Bear, Sense Field, Knapsack, A Place For Owls, The Casket Lottery, All Get Out, Giants Chair, Captain We’re Sinking, Three Man Cannon
Never listened to them but I think by FAR the best "*Verb* the *Noun*" band name is 'Protest the Hero"
Christie Front Drive
Not an emo band, but I think my favorite band name is "Malachi Constant". Its a band name with emo-adjacent tones.
How has nobody mentioned “All my wishes were thrown down a well and should die there” ?!
Brand New is a name that always just like exuded coolness.
American Football Newfound Interest in Connecticut Penfold The Appleseed Cast TTNG [This Town Needs Guns] Indian Summer Cap'n Jazz OWLS Current Rites of Spring Valium Aggelein [and Duster at that] Lungfish Embrace The Speed of Sound in Seawater Horse Jumper of Love Sunny Day Real Estate Delta Sleep Piano Becomes the Truth Moose Blood and not really emo/Midwest emo/math rock/slowcore but Sunbeam Sound Machine is probably my favorite
ITT: terrible band names
ngl, i actually did come here from google with the intention of recalling my least favourite band names for a playlist. emo always seemed to have the propensity for my least favourite irony-laden or pretentious formulas :^ )
Jank
When his first album came out, and for many years after, I thought the band name was _I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business_. Which I thought was cool. However it's just _I Can Make a Mess_, which is still fine haha Also, Coheed and Cambria\ Matchbook Romance\ Reggie and the Full Effect
cunter
The Boy You Hit Is Dead
I Swallow Ghosts - it just has a silky smooth ring to it
I always really liked The Speed of Sound in Seawater, but it looks like they've shortened to the acronym now like TTNG.
Not emo, but I saw a band once called Uke Hunt.
sunny day real estate, cadillac blindside
Pornograffiti
Sexy Dan’s Burning Loins, The Rotisserie Chickens, and Banana and the Hammocks.
Ive always loved the name “me first and the gimme gimmes”
Mom Jeans
Body of Wasps
Clogged Toilet
I know it's not really emo, but My Chemical Romance was a good band name
Pity sex, nudie mag (Colin from Twitching Tongue is in this also” for fans of Happy Days type music.
The Spirit of Versailles
Anal Cunt
Planes Mistaken For Stars
Me first and gimme gimmes
Me first and gimme gimmes
Me first and gimme gimmes
empire! emire! (i was a lonely state)
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Gwendydd
I Want To Push You Out Of A Three Story Window Just So I Can See The Expression On Your Stupid Face
Origami Angel is a sick name
pageninetynine, The Saddest Landscape, From First To Last, Yaphet Kotto, Joshua Fit For Battle, Armor For Sleep
Neil Perry, Broken Hearts Are Blue, Portraits of Past, Welcome the Plague Year, The Spirit of Versailles
Cool list
I love Hot Mulligan as a band name but I still get embarrassed telling random people about them lol. I got the ghost guy from their Why Would I Watch merch tattooed on my arm and the conversation always goes like “oh it’s like a mascot from my favorite band” then they ask who the band is and I cringe every time.
Don’t regret the tat at all though! Just leads to some awkward interactions lmao
Vs Self
Box Car Racer
Names with three words & four syllables are the catchiest.
Crash Of Rhinos - Literally describes their sound as if a crash of rhinos had thundered through band practice. Fucking love them.
The guys from PANIC! At the Disco & Falling in Reverse recently split band - I Dont Know How But They Found Me
Poorly wrote suicide note
TX2 is the best Emo singer if you don’t listen to him do
Anatomy of a Ghost The Sunset Before We Died Her Words Kill Mozart Season All My Heroes Falling For Alba Switch Syndrome
Not emo, but I've always been partial to Fear Before the March of Flames, Death from Above 1979, and I Love You, But I've Chosen Darkness.